diff --git a/include/mimalloc.h b/include/mimalloc.h
index a5b3cc9d..df85a2c0 100644
--- a/include/mimalloc.h
+++ b/include/mimalloc.h
@@ -369,6 +369,7 @@ typedef enum mi_option_e {
   mi_option_visit_abandoned,            // allow visiting heap blocks from abandoned threads (=0)
   mi_option_debug_guarded_min,          // only used when building with MI_DEBUG_GUARDED: minimal rounded object size for guarded objects (=0)
   mi_option_debug_guarded_max,          // only used when building with MI_DEBUG_GUARDED: maximal rounded object size for guarded objects (=0)
+  mi_option_target_segments_per_thread, // experimental (=0)
   _mi_option_last,
   // legacy option names
   mi_option_large_os_pages = mi_option_allow_large_os_pages,
diff --git a/include/mimalloc/internal.h b/include/mimalloc/internal.h
index aff6a1bd..b4e74789 100644
--- a/include/mimalloc/internal.h
+++ b/include/mimalloc/internal.h
@@ -175,6 +175,8 @@ void       _mi_page_retire(mi_page_t* page) mi_attr_noexcept;                  /
 void       _mi_page_unfull(mi_page_t* page);
 void       _mi_page_free(mi_page_t* page, mi_page_queue_t* pq, bool force);   // free the page
 void       _mi_page_abandon(mi_page_t* page, mi_page_queue_t* pq);            // abandon the page, to be picked up by another thread...
+void       _mi_page_force_abandon(mi_page_t* page);
+
 void       _mi_heap_delayed_free_all(mi_heap_t* heap);
 bool       _mi_heap_delayed_free_partial(mi_heap_t* heap);
 void       _mi_heap_collect_retired(mi_heap_t* heap, bool force);
diff --git a/include/mimalloc/types.h b/include/mimalloc/types.h
index 69f737b3..044d6eae 100644
--- a/include/mimalloc/types.h
+++ b/include/mimalloc/types.h
@@ -200,7 +200,7 @@ typedef int32_t  mi_ssize_t;
 #define MI_SMALL_OBJ_SIZE_MAX             (MI_SMALL_PAGE_SIZE/4)   // 8KiB on 64-bit
 #define MI_MEDIUM_OBJ_SIZE_MAX            (MI_MEDIUM_PAGE_SIZE/4)  // 128KiB on 64-bit
 #define MI_MEDIUM_OBJ_WSIZE_MAX           (MI_MEDIUM_OBJ_SIZE_MAX/MI_INTPTR_SIZE)
-#define MI_LARGE_OBJ_SIZE_MAX             (MI_SEGMENT_SIZE/2)      // 32MiB on 64-bit
+#define MI_LARGE_OBJ_SIZE_MAX             (MI_SEGMENT_SIZE/2)      // 16MiB on 64-bit
 #define MI_LARGE_OBJ_WSIZE_MAX            (MI_LARGE_OBJ_SIZE_MAX/MI_INTPTR_SIZE)
 
 // Maximum number of size classes. (spaced exponentially in 12.5% increments)
diff --git a/src/arena-abandon.c b/src/arena-abandon.c
index eaa8c7c9..84b9f72c 100644
--- a/src/arena-abandon.c
+++ b/src/arena-abandon.c
@@ -192,7 +192,7 @@ void _mi_arena_field_cursor_init(mi_heap_t* heap, mi_subproc_t* subproc, bool vi
   else {
     // otherwise visit all starting at a random location
     if (abandoned_count > abandoned_list_count && max_arena > 0) {
-      current->start = (heap == NULL || max_arena == 0 ? 0 : (mi_arena_id_t)(_mi_heap_random_next(heap) % max_arena));
+      current->start = 0; // (heap == NULL || max_arena == 0 ? 0 : (mi_arena_id_t)(_mi_heap_random_next(heap) % max_arena));
       current->end = current->start + max_arena;
     }
     else {
diff --git a/src/options.c b/src/options.c
index 1cfb2f17..c97b9abe 100644
--- a/src/options.c
+++ b/src/options.c
@@ -100,6 +100,7 @@ static mi_option_desc_t options[_mi_option_last] =
 #endif
   { 0,   UNINIT, MI_OPTION(debug_guarded_min) },        // only used when building with MI_DEBUG_GUARDED: minimal rounded object size for guarded objects
   { 0,   UNINIT, MI_OPTION(debug_guarded_max) },        // only used when building with MI_DEBUG_GUARDED: maximal rounded object size for guarded objects
+  { 0,   UNINIT, MI_OPTION(target_segments_per_thread) }, // abandon segments beyond this point, or 0 to disable.
 };
 
 static void mi_option_init(mi_option_desc_t* desc);
diff --git a/src/page.c b/src/page.c
index 99ef3835..5671c7d4 100644
--- a/src/page.c
+++ b/src/page.c
@@ -405,6 +405,27 @@ void _mi_page_abandon(mi_page_t* page, mi_page_queue_t* pq) {
 }
 
 
+// force abandon a page; this is safe to call
+void _mi_page_force_abandon(mi_page_t* page) {
+  mi_heap_t* heap = mi_page_heap(page);
+  // mark page as not using delayed free
+  _mi_page_use_delayed_free(page, MI_NEVER_DELAYED_FREE, false);
+  
+  // ensure this page is no longer in the heap delayed free list
+  _mi_heap_delayed_free_all(heap);
+  if (page->block_size == 0) return; // it may have been freed now
+
+  // and now unlink it from the page queue and abandon (or free)
+  mi_page_queue_t* pq = mi_heap_page_queue_of(heap, page);
+  if (mi_page_all_free(page)) {
+    _mi_page_free(page, pq, false);
+  }
+  else {
+    _mi_page_abandon(page, pq);
+  }
+}
+
+
 // Free a page with no more free blocks
 void _mi_page_free(mi_page_t* page, mi_page_queue_t* pq, bool force) {
   mi_assert_internal(page != NULL);
diff --git a/src/segment.c b/src/segment.c
index 1f1dc006..bb7483f1 100644
--- a/src/segment.c
+++ b/src/segment.c
@@ -693,6 +693,8 @@ static mi_slice_t* mi_segment_span_free_coalesce(mi_slice_t* slice, mi_segments_
       // free previous slice -- remove it from free and merge
       mi_assert_internal(prev->slice_count > 0 && prev->slice_offset==0);
       slice_count += prev->slice_count;
+      slice->slice_count = 0;
+      slice->slice_offset = (uint32_t)((uint8_t*)slice - (uint8_t*)prev); // set the slice offset for `segment_force_abandon` (in case the previous free block is very large).
       if (!is_abandoned) { mi_segment_span_remove_from_queue(prev, tld); }
       slice = prev;
     }
@@ -1329,7 +1331,7 @@ static mi_segment_t* mi_segment_try_reclaim(mi_heap_t* heap, size_t needed_slice
       result = mi_segment_reclaim(segment, heap, block_size, reclaimed, tld);
       break;
     }
-    else if (segment->abandoned_visits > 3 && is_suitable) {
+    else if (segment->abandoned_visits > 3 && is_suitable && !mi_option_is_enabled(mi_option_target_segments_per_thread)) {
       // always reclaim on 3rd visit to limit the abandoned queue length.
       mi_segment_reclaim(segment, heap, 0, NULL, tld);
     }
@@ -1343,7 +1345,7 @@ static mi_segment_t* mi_segment_try_reclaim(mi_heap_t* heap, size_t needed_slice
   return result;
 }
 
-
+// collect abandoned segments
 void _mi_abandoned_collect(mi_heap_t* heap, bool force, mi_segments_tld_t* tld)
 {
   mi_segment_t* segment;
@@ -1367,6 +1369,80 @@ void _mi_abandoned_collect(mi_heap_t* heap, bool force, mi_segments_tld_t* tld)
   _mi_arena_field_cursor_done(&current);
 }
 
+/* -----------------------------------------------------------
+   Force abandon a segment that is in use by our thread
+----------------------------------------------------------- */
+
+// force abandon a segment
+static void mi_segment_force_abandon(mi_segment_t* segment, mi_segments_tld_t* tld)
+{
+  mi_assert_internal(!mi_segment_is_abandoned(segment));
+
+  // for all slices
+  const mi_slice_t* end;
+  mi_slice_t* slice = mi_slices_start_iterate(segment, &end);
+  while (slice < end) {
+    mi_assert_internal(slice->slice_count > 0);
+    mi_assert_internal(slice->slice_offset == 0);
+    if (mi_slice_is_used(slice)) {
+      // ensure used count is up to date and collect potential concurrent frees
+      mi_page_t* const page = mi_slice_to_page(slice);
+      _mi_page_free_collect(page, false);
+      {
+        // abandon the page if it is still in-use (this will free it if possible as well)
+        mi_assert_internal(segment->used > 0);
+        if (segment->used == segment->abandoned+1) {
+          // the last page.. abandon and return as the segment will be abandoned after this
+          // and we should no longer access it.          
+          _mi_page_force_abandon(page);
+          return;
+        }
+        else {
+          // abandon and continue
+          _mi_page_force_abandon(page);
+          // it might be freed, reset the slice (note: relies on coalesce setting the slice_offset) 
+          slice = mi_slice_first(slice);
+        }
+      }
+    }
+    slice = slice + slice->slice_count;
+  }
+  mi_assert(segment->used == segment->abandoned);
+  mi_assert(segment->used == 0);
+  if (segment->used == 0) {
+    // all free now
+    mi_segment_free(segment, false, tld);
+  }
+  else {
+    // perform delayed purges
+    mi_segment_try_purge(segment, false /* force? */, tld->stats);
+  }
+}
+
+
+// try abandon segments. 
+// this should be called from `reclaim_or_alloc` so we know all segments are (about) fully in use.
+static void mi_segments_try_abandon(mi_heap_t* heap, mi_segments_tld_t* tld) {
+  const size_t target = (size_t)mi_option_get_clamp(mi_option_target_segments_per_thread,0,1024);
+  if (target == 0 || tld->count <= target) return;
+
+  const size_t min_target = (target > 4 ? (target*3)/4 : target);  // 75%
+
+  // todo: we should maintain a list of segments per thread; for now, only consider segments from the heap full pages
+  for (int i = 0; i < 16 && tld->count >= min_target; i++) {
+    mi_page_t* page = heap->pages[MI_BIN_FULL].first;
+    while (page != NULL && mi_page_block_size(page) > MI_LARGE_OBJ_SIZE_MAX) {
+      page = page->next;
+    }
+    if (page==NULL) {
+      break;
+    }
+    mi_segment_t* segment = _mi_page_segment(page);
+    mi_segment_force_abandon(segment, tld);
+    mi_assert_internal(page != heap->pages[MI_BIN_FULL].first); // as it is just abandoned    
+  }
+}
+
 /* -----------------------------------------------------------
    Reclaim or allocate
 ----------------------------------------------------------- */
@@ -1375,6 +1451,9 @@ static mi_segment_t* mi_segment_reclaim_or_alloc(mi_heap_t* heap, size_t needed_
 {
   mi_assert_internal(block_size <= MI_LARGE_OBJ_SIZE_MAX);
 
+  // try to abandon some segments to increase reuse between threads
+  mi_segments_try_abandon(heap,tld);
+
   // 1. try to reclaim an abandoned segment
   bool reclaimed;
   mi_segment_t* segment = mi_segment_try_reclaim(heap, needed_slices, block_size, &reclaimed, tld);